Guidelines: Component
Topics
Explanation 
Components can be divided into components that are deliverables, such as executables that are delivered to the customer, and those components such as source code from which the deliverables are produced. This is not an exact division; in some cases, for example, you would deliver source code to a customer. Exactly what types of components to use depends on the programming language and the implementation environment.
Examples of deliverable components |
| Executables | for example .exe files |
| Load libraries | for example .dll files |
| Applets | for example, .class for Java |
| Web pages | for example, .htm and .html files |
| Database tables |
Examples of components from which deliverables are produced |
| Source code files | for example, .h, .cpp and .hpp files for C++, CORBA IDL, or .java for Java |
| Binary files | for example, .o and .a files that are linked into executables |
| SOM files | IDL and bindings |
| Build files | for example, makefiles |
Use
The classes and objects, from design, are implemented as components. You should decide how the classes design are mapped to code; this should be captured in the Design Guidelines specific to the project.
For more information about how the design classes can be mapped to code, refer to Activity: Implement Component. See also Guidelines: Class.
